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IMAGE  EVALUATION 
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1.25 


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18 


1.6 


Sciences 
Corporation 


23  WEST  MAIN  STREET 

W':4STER,N.Y.  14580 

(716)  872-450 J 


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CIHM/ICMH 
Microfiche 


CIHM/ICMH 
Collection  de 
microfiches. 


Canadian  Institute  for  Historical  Microreproductions  /  Institut  Canadian  de  microreproductions  historiques 


Technical  and  Bibliographic  Notes/Notes  techniques  et  bibliographiques 


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D 


Coloured  covers/ 
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I      I    Covers  damaged/ 


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Couverture  restaur^e  et/ou  pelliculde 

Cover  title  missing/ 

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Coloured  plates  and/or  illustrations/ 
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Bound  with  other  material/ 
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n 


n 


□ 


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^ 


Showthrough/ 
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Quality  indgale  de  I'impression 

□    Includes  supplementary  material/ 
Comprend  du  materiel  supplementaire 

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n 


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Les  pages  totnlement  ou  partiellement 
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This  item  is  filmed  at  the  reduction  ratio  checked  below/ 
Ce  document  eat  film*  au  taux  de  reduction  indiqud  ci-dessous. 
10X  14X  18X  22X 


26X 


/ 


12X 


SOX 


16X 


20X 


24X 


28X 


J 


32X 


'e 

etails 
>s  du 
Modifier 
ir  une 
ilmage 


The  copy  filmed  here  has  been  reproduced  thanks 
to  the  generosity  of: 

Library  of  the  Public 
Archfves  of  Canada 

The  images  appearing  here  arc*  the  best  quality 
possible  considering  the  condition  and  legibility 
of  the  original  copy  and  in  keeping  wiJi  the 
filming  contract  specifications. 


Original  copies  in  printed  paper  covers  are  filmed 
beginning  with  the  front  cover  and  ending  on 
the  last  page  with  a  printed  or  illustrated  impres- 
sion, or  the  back  cover  when  appropriate.  All 
other  original  copies  are  filmed  beginning  on  the 
first  page  with  a  print(?d  or  illustrated  impres- 
sion, and  ending  jn  the  last  page  with  a  printed 
or  illustrated  impression. 


The  last  recorded  frame  on  each  microfiche 
shall  contain  the  symbol  —^  (meaning  "CON- 
TINUED"), or  the  symbol  V  (meaning  "END"), 
whichever  applies. 

Maps,  plates,  charts,  etc.,  may  be  filmed  at 
different  reduction  ratios.  Those  too  large  to  be 
entirely  includet'  in  one  exposure  are  filmed 
beginning  in  the  upper  left  hand  corner,  left  to 
right  and  top  to  bottom,  as  many  frames  as 
required.  The  following  diagrams  illustrate  the 
method: 


L'axemplaire  ftlm6  fut  reproduit  grdce  d  la 
g6n6ro8it6  de: 

La  bibliothdque  des  Archives 
publiques  du  Canada 

Les  images  suivantes  ont  et6  reproduites  avec  le 
plus  grand  soin,  compte  tenu  de  la  condition  et 
de  la  nettotd  de  I'exemplaire  film6,  et  en 
conformity  avec  les  conditions  du  contrat  de 
filmage. 

Les  exemplaires  originaux  dont  la  couverture  en 
papier  est  imprimde  sont  filmds  en  commenpant 
par  le  premier  plat  et  en  terminant  soit  par  la 
dernidre  page  qui  comporte  une  empreinte 
d'impression  ou  d'illustration,  soit  par  le  second 
plat,  aelon  le  cas.  Tous  les  autres  exemplaires 
originaux  sont  filmds  en  commen^ant  par  la 
premidre  page  qui  comporte  une  empreinte 
d'impression  ou  d'illustration  et  en  terminant  par 
la  dernidre  page  qui  comporte  une  telle 
empreinte. 

Un  des  symboles  suivants  apparattra  sur  la 
dernidia  image  de  cheque  microfiche,  selon  le 
cas:  le  symboie  — ►  signifie  "A  SUIVRE  ",  le 
symbole  V  signifie  "FIN". 

Les  cartes,  planches,  tableaux,  etc.,  peuvent  dtre 
filmds  d  des  taux  de  reduction  diffdrents. 
Lorsque  le  document  est  trop  grand  pour  dtre 
reproduit  en  un  seul  cliche,  il  est  fiimd  d  partir 
de  Tangle  sup6rieur  gauche,  de  gauche  d  droite, 
et  de  haut  en  bas,  en  prenant  le  nombre 
d'images  ndcessaire.  Les  diagrammes  suivants 
illustrent  la  mdthode. 


rrata 
to 


selure, 
1  a 


J 


32X 


1 

2 

3 

1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

^ 


Complhnetits  of 

The  Association  of  Manufact 
of  Chilled  Car  Wheels. 


urers 


t 


0 


^ 

' 


$ 


Cast  Iron  Chilled  Car  Wheels 


9 


Mode  of  manufacture  and  relations 
they  bear  to  economy  in 
railway  practice 


The  Association  of  Manufacturers 
of  Chilled  Car  Wheels 


lS(;5 


'I  lie  following- jirficle  luis  hccii  carcfullv  piv- 
parcd  by  the  Svvwfdvy  of  the  Association  of  Man- 
uFactiirers  of  CIijII.mI  Car  Wlioels,  at  the  rfM,uest 
of  rhc  Association  at  its  last  Animal  Mcetino-,  and 
liaving  til.'  endorscnKMit  of  the  Kxcciitive  Conmiit- 
t<v.  it  is  hcivhy  pivscnted  to  yon  for  yo,ir  consid- 
eration. 

Wm.   W.   r.()i!i)i:r.L, 

Secret  my. 


To  THE  Railroad  Officials  of  the 
Ujstited  States  and  Caitada. 

Cast  Iron  Chilled  Car  Wheels  are  dis- 
tinctively an  American  product,  although  manu- 
factured to  a  limited  extent  in  Austria  and 
Sweden.  Their  use  on  steam  roads  is  confined 
chiefly  to  North  America,  and  to  those  sections  of 
Central  and  South  America  where  the  American 
system  of  railroads  has  been  adopted.  Their  use 
on  street  roads  has  become  quite  universal,  and 
they  can  be  found  running  under  horse  and  motor 
cars  the  world  over. 

The  output,  from  possibly  ten  or  twelve  wheels 
per  day  in  1830,  confined  to,  at  most,  two  or  three 
establishments,  has  grown  to  one  of  millions;  the 
product  of  more  than  one  hundred  establishments, 


6 

controlling    millions   of    capital    and   employing 
thousands  of  skilled  workmen. 

Probably  no  one  article  has  contributed  so 
much  to  economy  in  the  Eailway  practice  of 
America  as  that  of  cast  iron  chilled  car  wheels. 
Commencing  with  the  introduction  of  the  early 
tramway,  through  the  various  stages  of  develop- 
ment into  the  modern  railway  of  to-day,  their  use 
has  been  continuous  and  uninterrupted,  and  we 
feel  warranted  in  claiming  that  there  is  no  other 
article  so  universally  used  on  railways  and  upon 
which  so  much  depends,  that  can  be  produced  as 
cheaply  and  quickly,  and  which,  when  worn  out, 
represents  as  large  a  per  cent,  of  its  first  cost. 

That  chilled  wheels  should  hold  their  posi- 
tion, their  usefulness  unimpaired  for  so  long  a 
time  is  evidence  that  they  possess  some  special 
merit,  and  should  be  entitled  to  such  consideration 
from  those  who  use  them  as  to  warrant  hearty  co- 
operation in  any  plan  that  Avill  increase  their  effi- 
ciency and  safety. 


^m^'WKmmm 


Companitively  few  persons — alihough  active- 
ly engaged  in  railroad  management — have  ac- 
quainted  themselves  with  their  mode  of  manufac- 
ture and  consequent  characteristics,  and  therefore, 
are  often  led  into  unwise  con(\isions  as  regards 
the  limits  of  their  efficiency.  To  such  it  may  be 
interesting  to  >^ote  that  "when  certa.ii  kinds  of 
gray  cast  iron  are  melted  and  poured  against  a 
metallic  mould,  that  portion  of  the  iron  next  to 
the  mould  becomes  hard,  white,  crysfcalline  and 
brittle,  while  the  interior  portion  remains  gray 
and  more  or  less  tough  and  fibrous.  This  conver- 
sion of  the  iron  that  comes  in  contact  with  the 
metallic  mould,  into  the  hard  white  variety,  is 
called  'chilling,'  and  it  is  upon  this  principle  that 
the  manufacture  of  chilled  car  wheels  depends. 
This  property  of  chilling,  which  certain  irons  pos- 
sess, must  have  been  known  to  iron  founders  at  an 
early  day,  for  we  have  evidence  of  the  fact  that 
parts  of  plows,  faces  of  forge  hammers,  punches 
for  punching  holes  in  wagon  tires,  rolls  for  rolling 


IMMi 


8 

metal,  and  various  other  implements  were  chilled, 
long  before  the  manufacture  of  car  wheels." 

As  the  early  mode  of  smelting  iron  ores  was 
with  charcoal,  it  follows  undoubtedly  that  chilled 
castings  and  chilled  car  wheels  were  originally 
made  exclusively  from  charcoal  irons;  and  al- 
though later  developments  have  demonstrated  that, 
under  certain  conditions,  coke  or  anthracite  irons 
possess  this  property  of  chilling  to  a  certain  ex- 
tent, they  have  not  come  into  sufficient  prominence 
for  us  to  consider  them  as  important  factors  in 
this  ])ranch  of  manufacture;  so  that  to  produce 
the  best  results  we  may  consider  the  m^  of  char- 
coal iron  as  indispensable.  All  irons  do  not  ])os- 
sess  the  property  of  chilling,  and  many  that  do 
possess  it  are  not  well  adapted  for  use  because  of 
characteristics  which  would  render  the  wheels 
made  from  them  unreliable. 

Noting,  then,  this  peculiar  property  of  chill- 
ing, it  is  obvious  that  the  plates  and  hub  of  the 
wheel  must  be  cast  in  a  saiul  mould,  the  result 


k 


9 

being  that  they  are  soft  enough  to  be  bored  or 
machined,  while  the  tread  is  so  hard  rhat  the  finest 
tempered  file  will  not  affect  it.  What,  then,  is 
this  peculiar  property  of  chilling  ?  The  supposi- 
tion is  that  the  chemical  difference  between  the 
chilled  portion  of  a  v/heel  and  the  plates  or  hub  is 
simply  in  the  proportion  of  combined  and  free  or 
graphitic  carbon,  that  of  the  chilled  part  being 
high  in  combined  carbon,  the  free  or  graphitic 
having  been  changed  to  combined  by  the  rapid 
cooling  of  the  tread  by  reason  of  being  cast 
against  a   metallic    mould,    technically   called   a 

chill. 

This  rapid  cooling  of  the  tread  of  the  wheel 
— the  metallic  mould  in  which  it  is  cast  being  a 
good  conductor  of  heat,  whilst  the  sand  mould 
against  which  the  hub  and  plates  are  cast  is  a  poor 
conductor  —  causes  an  undue  strain  upon  the 
wheel,  which  must  be  relieved  in  some  manner  or 
the  wheel  would  be  unfit  for  service. 

The  earliest  form  of  wheel  was  of  the  ordin- 


10 

ary  Hat  spoke  pattern,  with  the  hub  separated 
longitudinally  in  three  places,  thus  relieving  this 
strain,  and  preventing  the  arms  or  spokes  breaking 
in  cooling.    The  separation  of  the  hub  necessitated 


its  being  bandrd  with  a  wrought  iron  band  before 
the  wheel  was  keyed  on  the  axle. 

With   the  adoption  of  the  form   of  pattern 
such  as  is  used  to-day,  whether  the  Bush  &  Lob- 


# 


"► 


f 


11 

dell,  Eddy,  or  At  wood- Washburn,  Double  Plate, 
the  Hollow  or  Solid  Spoke  or  the  Single  Plate, 
came  the  necessity  for  some  mode  of  slow  cooling 
or  annealing.  Probably  the  first  method  prac- 
ticed was  to  take  the  wheels  from  the  moulds  in 
w^hich  they  were  cast  as  soon  as  the  iron  w^as  set, 
and  cover  them  up  in  hot  sand  or  ashes  and  allow 
them  to  remain  several  days  until  nearly  cold. 
Another  was  to  lay  them  on  the  floor  and  build  a 
fire  around  the  tread  so  as  to  bring  the  tempera- 
ture of  the  tread  up  to  that  of  the  hub  and 
plates,  and  then  allow  them  to  cool  slowly.  To  a 
certain  extent  both  of  these  methods  accomplished 
the  desired  results,  and  were  probably  sufficient 
for  the  requirements  of  the  times  in  which  they 
were  practiced. 

The  latest  and  probably  the  best  plan  is  to 
place  the  wheels,  as  soon  as  they  can  be  removed 
from  the  moulds,  in  tight  pits  lined  with  fire-brick 
or  some  other  substance  that  will  stand  the  heat, 
ten  or  more  in  each  pit.     The  equilibrium  of  heat 


!■»""» 


**^mm 


12 


BuSir  AND  LOIJDELL  DoL  IJLE  PlATE  WhEEL. 


Atwood- Washburn  Doubi.e  Plate  AVjieel. 


4 


Single  Plate  Wheel. 


9 


13 


Hollow  JSpoke  Wheel. 


■;i 


4 


Solid  Spoke  Wheel. 


iVMW 


14 

between  the  tread  and  plates  and  litib,  whicli  has 
been  destroyed  ])y  the  rapid  cooling  of  the  tread 
by  reason  of  the  chilling  process,  is  then  restored, 
either  by  the  development  of  latent  heat,  which 
occurs  wdien  so  many  hot  wheels  are  confined  in 
tight  pits,  to  an  extent   sr.lllcient  to  equalize  the 
temperature  of  the   different  parts  of  the   wheel ; 
or  by   passing  a  current  of  cold  air  through  the 
hubs  of  the  wheels,    which    nipidly   reduces    the 
temperature  of  the  centre  of  tlie  wheel  until  it  ap- 
proximates that   of  the  tread  ;  or  by    having  the 
pits  heated  before  the  wheels  are   placed  therein, 
and  then    by  the   application    of  additional    heat 
rapidly  raising  the  temperature  of  the  tread  until 
it  approximates  that  of  the  plates  and  hub.     The 
wheels  are  allowed  to  remain  in  the  pits  several 
days  and  are  not    removed  until  all  tendency  to 
fracture  from  strain  has  been  removed. 

From  this  hasty  resume  of  the  mode  of  manu- 
facture, it  is  obvious  that  to  insure  a  thoroughly  safe 
and  reliable  wheel,  great  care  must  be  taken  in  the 


i> 


# 


4 


15 

selection  and  manipulation  of  the  material  used,  as 
well  as  in  the  treatment  of  the  wheel  after  it  is  cast ; 
indeed,  so  well  is  this  known,  that  the  manufacture  of 
chilled  car-wheels  is  considered  as  entirely  separate 
from  ordinary  foundry  practice,  and  is  carried  on  in 
establishments  especially  adapted  to  the  work. 

The  efficiency  of  cast-iron  chilled  wheels  depends 
upon  their  strength  and  wearing  qualities.  If  the 
specifications  and  physical  tests  formulated  by  expert 
mechanical  engineers  and  adopted  by  the  most  prom- 
inent railroads  of  the  country—and  which  are  now 
much  more  severe  and  exacting  than  those  first 
formulated— can  be  taken  as  the  maximum  required 
to  meet  the  conditions  of  the  increase  in  speed  and 
weight  of  equipment  of  the  present  time,  then  ihe 
limit  of  strength  of  cast-iron  wheels  has  not  been 
reached,  as  they  are  successfully  met  by  all  reputable 
manufacturers ;  and  as  long  as  charcoal  irons  can  be 
produced  approximating  35,000  to  40,000  pounds 
tensile  strength  per  square  inch,  it  is  not  likely  that 
the   limit   of  strength    will    be  exhausted  until  the 


'.^1 


r 


16 


speed  and  weight  of  equipment  is  increased  beyond 
anything  now  contemplated. 

Assuming,  then,  that  cast-iron  chilled  wheels 
meet  all  the  requirements  of  the  physical  test  and 
specifications  as  to  strength  and  depth  and  character 
of  chill,  we  have  yet  to  consider  their  wearing 
qualities. 

We  have  seen  that  the  chilling  process  has  trans- 
formed the  iron  in  the  tread  of  the  wheel  from  a  soft, 
dark-colored  metal  with  a  semi-fibrous  fracture,  into 
a  metal  white  in  color,  hard  in  character,  and  with  a 
crystalline  fracture.  If  a  proper  mixture  is  used, 
this  chilled  iron  is  harder  than  any  steel  that  can  be 
safely  used  in  a  tire,  and  consequently,  under  favor- 
able conditions  of  service,  should  give  excellent 
mileage  results, — instances  being  numerous  where  a 
mileage  of  200,000,  in  some  cases  300,000  miles  has 
been  obtained  from  80-  and  33-in'ch  chilled  wheels. 
These  results  cannot,  however,  be  produced  with  the 
use  of  inferior  irons,  and  they  are  not  one  of  the  con- 
ditions resulting  from  this  era  of  extreme  low  prices. 


\^ 


♦ 


f 


f 


17 

The  separation  of  the  iron  in  the  tread  of  a 
wheel  into  crystals  by  this  peculiar  process  called 
chilling,  should  indicate  that  although  it  provided  a 
wearing  surface  of  extreme  hardness,  yet  under  cer- 
tain conditions  of  service  its  peculiar  cryslalline 
structure  would  render  it  liable  to  defects  not  appli- 
cable to  a  metal  of  the  structure  of  wrought-iron  or 
steel. 

Such  defects  as  are  incident  to  improper  manu- 
facture, and  for  which  the  manufacturers  are  un- 
doubtedly liable,  we  will  not  here  refer  to.  We  wish, 
however,  to  call  attention  to  such  defects  as  are  inci- 
dent to  the  service,  and  to  impress  upon  railroad 
officials  the  importance  of  guarding  against  them  as 
much  as  possible. 

Probably  more  serious  defects  occur  in  cast-iron 
wheels  from  the  excessive  use  of  the  brake  than  from 
all  the  other  causes  combined.  Excessive  heat  will 
destroy  the  life  of  the  "  chill."  If  by  any  process  it 
is  continued  to  a  "  red  heat "  point,  it  eventually 
transforms   the   crystalline  structure  back  into  the 


mmmf 


18 


semi-fibrous.  The  application  of  the  brakes,  when 
severe  enough  to  slide  the  wheel  any  considerable 
length  of  time,  results  in  the  heating  of  the  tread  at 
that  particular  point  to  such  a  temperature  that  a 
separation  of  the  crystals  composing  the  chill  occurs,  as 
can  be  noticed  by  fine  fire  cracks  on  the  surface ;  fur- 
ther service  results  in  a  disintegration  and  shattering 
out  of  these  crystals.  As  a  result,  shelled-out  spots 
occur  ;  such  spots  being  readily  distinguished  by  their 
ragged,  cuppy  appearance,  and  the  absence  of  a  high 
point  in  the  center  (like  the  defect  termed  a  blotch, 
for  which  the  manufacturer  is  generally  held  liable), 
tread  of  the  wheel  is  broken  through  these 
spots,  the  chill  will  be  found  to  be  dis- 
colored by  the  heat  to  a  deep  violet  color,  which 
discoloration  can  be  produced  in  no  other  way. 

That  this  peculiarity  was  not  thoroughly  under 
stood  by  many  railway  officials  is  evident,  as,  until 
lately,  in  many  instances  they  claimed  that  this  was 
a  defect  for  which  manufacturers  were  liable. 

The  sliding  of  chilled  wheels  results  not  only  in 


I 

* 


* 


19 


P 


f 


1 


the  disintegration  and  shattering  out  of  the  chill,  but, 
by  expanding  the  tread,  in  cracked  plates  and 
brackets,  and  other  defects  whic!.  necessitate  the  re- 
moval of  the  wheel.  If  the  application  of  the  brake 
could  be  more  carefully  regulated,  the  life  and  safety 
of  the  wheel  would  be  increased  one  hundred  per  cent., 
and  many  thousand  dollars  saved  to  those  who  use 
them. 

Whilst  the  efficiency  of  chilled  wheels  may  in  a 
measure  depend  upon  the  shape  and  form  of  the  pat- 
tern from  which  they  are  made,  it  is  not  the  purpose 
of  this  article  to  enumerate  and  describe  the  dif/erent 
patterns  of  wheels  used,  although  it  might  be  interes- 
ting to  know  that  between  the  years  1849  and  1860 
there  were  no  less  than  eighty-eight  patents  granted 
(how  many  refused  is  not  known)  for  alleged  improve- 
ments in  the  form  of  patterns  of  cast-iron  wheels. 
The  original  double  plate  wheel,  as  invented  by  the 
late  George  G.  Lobdell  in  1838,  and  the  modification 
of  it  later  into  the  Atwood-Washburn  pattern,  and 
the  hollow  and  solid  spoke  wheel,  practically  remain 


20 


the  patterns  in  use  to-day  ;  and  it  is  worthy  of  note 
that  manufacturers  of  steel  tired  wheels  in  their  pat- 
terns have  followed  very  clcsely  the  same  shape  or 
design. 

From  the  fact  that  cast-iron  chiHed  wheels  are 
universfally  used  on  the  railroads  of  the  United 
States,  Canada,  Mexico,  Cuba  and  South  America 
under  engines  and  tenders,  passenger  and  freight 
cars,  running  on  frst  express  trains  as  well  as  heavy 
freight  trains,  and  on  roads  of  heavy  grades  and 
sharp  curves,  under  all  conditions  of  service  and  ex- 
posed to  the  greatest  extremes  of  temperature,  is  it 
not  positive  proof  that  they  possess  as  many  elements 
of  safety  as  any  other  kind  of  wheel  ?  Any  exception 
to  this  would  only  be  in  individual  cases  and  not  in 
general  results. 

The  object  and  aim  of  the  manufacturers  of  cast- 
iron  chilled  wheels  have  been  to  meet  every  ro<iuirt- 
ment  of  service  imposed  upon  them.  Prior  to  and  for 
some  years  after  the  war,  the  usual  guarantee  for  a 
thirty-three   inch   chilled   car  wheel  under  engines, 


21 


tenders,  passenger  and  freight  cars  whose  weight, 
capacity,  speed  and  mileage  was  less  than  half  what 
it  is  now,  was  one  year  time  service,  To-day,  with  an 
increase  of  weight  in  the  wheels  of  probably  ten  per 
cent.,  manufacturers  have  to  meet  a  condition  of  ser- 
vice requiring  for  the  same  diameter  of  wheel  a  mile- 
age of  not  less  than  60,000  miles  under  passenger 
and  tenders,  and  four  years  time  service  under  freight 
cars,  with  the  addition,  in  many  instances,  of  a  physi- 
cal test,  and  at  a  reduction  of  price — when  the  price 
of  labor  and  material  is  considered — that  is  unprece- 
dented. ^ 

How  well  they  have  succeeded,  the  following 
from  the  report  of  the  wheel  committee  of  the  Master 
Car  Builders'  Association,  dated  May  26th,  1892,  will 
show  : 

"In  conclusion  your  committee  expresses  briefly 
the  opinion  that  the  experiments  made  and  being 
made  in  the  distribution  of  metal  by  those  connected 
with  roads  which  have  facilities  for  making  experi- 
ments, places  the  members  of  our  body  under  obliga- 


-JmniMM^-,^  -.a..  ,„ji:.-«KS,.SS«. "' '  ^JSKllKM SfiSSl* 


22 

tions  to  them  and  wheel  makers  are  entitled  to  more 
credit  than  they  now  receive  for  the  production  of  a 
cast-iron  wheel  weighing  'ess  than  600  pounds  guar- 
anteed to  carry  onr  largely  increased  loads,  running 
ibrty  to  fifty  miles  per  hour  for  60,000  miles,  at  a 
cost  far  below  the  price  we  pay  for  other  parts  of  our 
car  and  locomotive  castings.  When  we  consider  the 
remarkable  progress  in  the  manufacture  of  cast-iron 
wheels,  and  how  well  the  makers  of  such  wheels  have 
kept  to  the  front  in  uie  *  wheel  procession,'  we  must 
admit  that  they  are  entitled  to  a  large  amount  of 

credit. 

Geo.  W.  West, 

W.  H.  Thomas, 

John  Playeu, 

Committee^ 
''May '26,  1892. 


The  success  which  manufacturers  have  had  in 
meeting  these  conditions,  while  it  may  have  had  the 
effect  of  convincing  railroad  managers  that  there  was 
yet  much  merit  in  the  chilled  wheel,  brought  with  it 


23 


# 


some  conditions  regaiding  replacement  of  wheels  for 
alleged  defects  which  seemed  to  bear  with  undue 
severity  u[)on  them,  and  it  was  with  the  hope  of  being 
able  to  come  to  a  better  understanding  regarding 
them  and  to  induce  a  uniform  system  of  guarantee 
and  physical  test,  that  an  association  was  formed  in 
order  that  they  might  be  placed  as  a  body  in  commu- 
nication with  the  two  representative  associations  of 
operative  railroad  men,  viz. :  The  Associations  of 
Railway  Master  Mechanics  and  Master  Car  Builders. 
To  this  end,  on  the  27th  of  January,  1(S87,  the 
representatives  of  thirty-five  of  the  leading  establish- 
ments of  the  country  assembled  in  New  York  for  the 
purpose  of  forming  an  association.  The  object  as  dis- 
tinctly stated  in  the  call  was  not  in  any  manner  to 
control  or  regulate  prices,  but  to  provide  the  means 
for  the  interchange  of  opinion  and  discussion  on  mat- 
ters pertaining  to  the  manufacture  of  cast-iron  chilled 
wheels,  and  particularly  to  induce  some  concerted 
action  on  the  part  of  railroad  officials  relative  to 
wheel  guarantee  and  physical  tests.     A  full  organiza- 


^'-^ '  >^f?^ft^ ;  ^  ■  '*"*'}  msKet^-.  TK-^-imm 


24 


tion  was  effected  at  a  meeting  held  at  Minneapolis, 
Minn.,  June  16th,  1887,  at  which  the  Hon.  W.  H. 
Barnum  vas  elected  President,  J.  H.  Bass,  Vice- 
President,  W.  W.  Lobdell,  Secretary,  N.  P.  Bowler, 
Treasurer ;  with  an  Executive  Committee  consisting 
of  W.  W.  Snow,  John  R.  Whitney,  K  S.  Bouton, 
F.  J.  Hecker  and  E.  B.  Tippett.  It  was  the  province 
of  these  gentlemen  to  confer  with  the  Master  Me- 
chanics and  Master  Car  Builders  Association  on  the 
subject  of  mileage  and  physical  test,  and  upon  a  re- 
quest from  our  Association  the  two  Railwav  Associa- 
tions  appointed  a  special  conference  committee  to 
meet  with  our  committee  and  formulate,  as  far  as 
practicable,  specifications  for  a  uniform  guarantee 
and  physical  test. 

The  joint  Committee  met  at  Baffalo,  N.  Y.,  May 
30ih,  1888.  the  railroad  interest  being  represented  by 
such  able  men  as  Messrs.  Lauder,  Kirby,  and  Stevens. 
They  were  in  session  all  day,  and  every  point  bearing 
on  the  subject  was  thoroughly  discussed;  the  result 
was  the  unanimous  adoption  of  the  following,  which 


1 


i 


25 


4 


< 


was   recommended   to  each   organization    for   their 
adoption  and  approval 

"  A  JOINT  meeting  of  the  conference  committees 
of  the  American  Railway  Master  Mechanics 
and  the  Master  Car  Builders  Associations,  and 
the  Executive  Committee  of  the  Association  of 
Manufacturers  of  Chilled  Car  Wheels,  was 
held  at  the  Genesee  House,  Buffalo,  New  York,  at 
10.30  A.M.,  May  30th,  1888.  The  following  mem- 
bers were  present :  Messrs.  Lauder,  Kirby,  and  Stev- 
ens, of  the  railroad  committees,  and  Messrs.  Barnum, 
Bowler,  Hecker,  Lobdell,  Snow,  and  Whitney,  of  the 
wheel-makers  association. 

On  motion,  Mr.  W.  H.  Barnum  was  called  to 
the  chair,  and  Mr.  Lobdell  acted  as  secretary. 

On  motion,  the  specifications  for  chilled  cast-iron 
wheels,  as  recommended  by  the  Executive  Committee 
of  the  wheel-makers  association,  were  taken  up  for 
consideration.  After  a  full  discussion  of  the  same,— 
each  article  being  acted  on  separately,  the  following 
was,  on  motion,  adopted,  and  was  recommended  by 


I 
li 


26 


the  joint  committee  to  the  associations  named  above 
for  their  consideration  and  adoption. 

Specifications  for  Cast-Iron  Wheels. 

1.  The  chills  in  which  the  wheels  of  any  one 
wheel  maker  are  cast  shall  be  of  equal  diameters,  and 
the  same  chill  must  not  vary  at  different  points  more 
than  one-sixteenth  of  an  inch  in  diameter, 

2.  There  shall  not  be  a  variation  of  more  than 
one-half  inch  in  the  circumference  of  any  given  num- 
ber of  wheels  of  the  same  nominal  diameter,  furnished 
by  any  one  maker,  and  the  same  wheel  must  not  vary 
more  than  one-sixteenth  of  an  inch  in  diameter.  The 
body  of  the  wheel  must  be  smooth  and  free  from  slag 
or  blow-holes.  The  tread  must  be  free  from  deep  and 
irregular  wrinkles,  slag,  chill  cracks,  and  sweat  or 
beads  in  the  throat  which  are  one-eighth  of  an  inch 
or  over  in  diameter,  or  which  occur  in  clusters  of 
more  than  six  inches  in  length. 

3.  The  wheels  broken  must  show  clean,  gray 
iron  in  the  plates;  the  depth  of  pure  white  iron  must 


3 


27 

not  exceed  seven-eighths  of  an  inch  or  be  less  than 
three-eighths  of  an  inch  in  the  middle  of  the  tread, 
nnd  shall  not  be  less  than  three-sixteenths  of  an  inch 
in  the  throat.  The  depth  of  the  white  iron  shall  not 
vary  more  than  one-fourth  of  an  inch  around  the 
tread  on  the  rail  line  in  the  same  wheel. 

4.  For  each  hundred  wheels  which  pass  inspec- 
tion and  are  ready  for  shipment,  one  representative 
wheel  shall  be  taken  at  random,  and  subjected  to  the 
following  test : 

The  wheel  shall  be  placed  flange  downward  on 
an  anvil  block  weighing  not  less  than  seventeen  hun- 
dred (1,700)  pounds,  set  on  rubble  masonry  at  least 
two  feet  deep,  and  having  three  supports  not  more 
than  five  inches  wide  for  the  wheel  to  rest  upon.  It 
shall  be  struck  centrally  on  the  hub  by  a  weight  of 
one  hundred  and  forty  (140)  pounds,  falling  from  a 
height  of  twelve  (12)  feet.  Should  this  wheel  stand 
five  (5)  blows  without  breaking  into  two  or  more 
pieces,  the  hundred  wheels  shall  be  accepted. 

Or,  wheels  must  be  of  such  strength  that  550  to 


28 


575  pound  wheels  shall  require  twenty  (20)  blows, 
and  575  to  600  pound  wheels  shall  require  thirty 
(30)  blows  of  a  hundred  (100)  pound  drop  falling 
seven  (7)  feet  on  the  plate  close  to  the  rim  to  break  a 
piece  out, — the  wheel  resting  upon  a  cast-iron  plate 
weighing  not  less  than  one  thousand  (1,000)  pounds. 

5.  Should  in  either  case  the  test  wheel  break 
into  two  or  more  pieces  with  less  than  the  required 
number  of  blov/js,  then  a  second  wheel  shall  be  taken 
from  the  same  lot  and  similarly  tested.  If  the  second 
wheel  stands  the  test,  it  shall  be  optional  with  the 
inspector  whether  he  shall  test  a  third  wheel  or  not. 
If  he  does  not  so  elect, — or  if  he  does,  and  the  third 
wheel  stands  the  test,  the  hundred  wheels  shall  be 
accepted. 

The  above  tests  shall  apply  to  standard  weight 
wheels  from  26  inches  to  42  inches  diameter,  used  on 
standard  guage  roads. 

6.  Wheels  shall  not  vary  from  the  specified 
weight  more  than  two  per  cent. 


' 


29 


7.  The  flange  shall  not  vary  in  the  same  wheel 
more  than  three-thirty-seconds  of  an  inch  from  its 
mean  thickness. 

8.  The  single  plate  part  of  a  33-inch  wheel, 
known  as  the  Washburn  pattern,  shall  not  be  less 
than  five-eighths  of  an  inch  in  thickness  in  a  wheel 
weighing  from  550  co  575  pounds,  and  not  less  than 
three-fourths  of  an  inch  in  thickness  in  a  wheel 
weighing  from  575  to  600  pounds. 


Guarantee. 
Unfits  f  nd^ntur^t  made   this 
18 by  and  between 


of  the  first  part,  and 


-   day  of 
party 


-,  party   of  the 


second  part,  n)ttne$$ct(t  - 

l.—The  party  of  the  first  part  hereby  agrees  to 
furnish  to  the  party  of  the  second  part,  free  on  board 

cars  at , chilled  cast-iron  wheels, 

inches  in  diameter,  under  the  following  conditions : 

2.— The  party  of  the  second  part  hereby  agrees 
to  pay  to  the  party  of  the  first  part  dollars 


30 

for  each  wheel  furnished,  and  to  keep  an  accurate 
record  of  the  mileage  made  by  the  wheels  pk.ced  in 
service  under  cars  in  passenger  equipment  and  under 
locomotives  and  tenders,  and  an  accurate  record  of 
the  number  of  months  of  service  of  the  wheels  placed 
in  service  under  cars  in  freight  equipment. 

3. — The  party  of  the  second  part  hereby  agrees 
that  when  any  wheel  furnished  under  this  contract  is 
scrapped,  to  furnish  to  the  party  of  the  first  part  a 
statement  which  will  show 

1. — The  wheel  number. 

2. — The  service  in  which  the  wheel  ran. 

3. — The  amount  of  service  in  months  or  miles. 

4. — The  cause  of  failure. 

5. — A  charge  against  the  party  of  the  first 

part  of  fifty-fiv^  per  cent,  of  the  price 

of  the  wheel  when  mentioned  above. 
6. — A  credit  to  the  party  of  the  first  part  of 

cents  per  1,000  miles  for  36'' 

passenger  equipment, 


31 


A  credit  to  the  party  of  the  first  part  of 

cents  per  1,000  miles  for  33'' 

passenger  equipment, 

A  credit  to  the  party  of  the  first  part  of 

cents  per  1,000  miles  for  30'' 

passenger  equipment, 

A  credit  to  the  party  of  the  first  part  of 

• cents  per  1,000  miles  for  36" 

locomotive  and  tender  equipment. 
A  credit  to  the  party  of  the  first  part  of 

■ cents  per  1,000  miles  for  33'' 

locomotive  and  tender  equipment, 
A  credit  to  the  party  of  the  first  part  of 

■ cents  per  1,000  miles  for  30" 

locomotive  and  tender  equipment, 
A  credit  to  the  party  of  the  first  part  of 

■ cents  per  1,000  miles  for  28" 

locomotive  and  tender  equipment, 
A  credit  to  the  party  of  the  first  part  of 

cents  per  1,000  miles  for  26 

locomotive  and  tender  equipment. 


// 


..•«o^»«MMmMi 


82 

A  credit  to  the  party  of  the  first  part  of 

cents  per  month  for  36''  freight 

equipment, 
A  credit  to  the  party  of  the  first  part  of 

cents  per  month  for  33"  freight 

equipment, 
A  credit  to  the  party  of  the  first  part  of 

cents  per  month  for  30"  freight 

equipment. 

Except  in  the  case  of  wheels  made  flat 
by  sliding,  or  removal  for  sharp  flanges 
or  other  unfair  treatment,  which  have 
not  made  sufficient  service  to  balance 
the  charge  against  the  party  of  the  first 
part  as  above  ;  in  such   case  a  service 
credit  shall  be  made  which  shall  bal- 
ance the  charge. 
4.— The  party  of  the  first  part  hereby  agrees 
on    presentation    of  the     statement     above     men- 
tioned, to  pay  to  the  party  of  the  second  piirt  any 
balance  due  from  lack  of  sufficient  service  on  the  part 


33 

of  the  wheels  (with  above  exceptions)  to  balance  the 
charge ;  and  the  party  of  the  second  part  hercoy 
agrees  to  pay  to  the  party  of  the  first  part  any  bal- 
ance due  as  shown  by  the  aforesaid  statement,— settle- 
ments to  be  made  quarterly.  It  is,  however,  under- 
stood and  agreed  that  no  credit  shall  be  allowed  for 
excess  of  mileage  for  time  service  on  freight  wheels 
beyond  the  time  guaranteed. 

5.— The  party  of  the  second  part  hereby  agrees 
to  hold  subject  to  the  inspection  of  the  party  of  the 
first  part,  for  a  period  of  thirty  days  after  the  said 
statement  has  been  rendered,  any  wheels  (with  above 
exceptions)  which  have  not  earned  for  themselves  a 
credit  equal  to  the  amount  charged  against  them. 

6.— It  is  understood  that  the  basis  for  settlement 
shall  be  as  follows  : 

36  inch  passenger  wheels  .  70,000  miles. 
33  inch  passenger  wheels  .  60,000  miles. 
36  inch  engine  and  tender 
wheels     .......  60,000  miles. 


34 

33  inch  engine  and  tender 

wheels 50,000  miles. 

80  inch  engine  and  tender 

wheels 45,000  miles. 

26  and  28  inch  engine  and 

tender  wheels     ....  40,000  miles. 
Refrigerator,  through  line 

and  cattle  cars  ....         24  months. 
All  other  freight  cars   .    .         48  months. 

On  motion  the  meeting  adjourned. 


< 


riethod  of  Computing  Cost  of  Wheel  Service. 

In  adjusting  the  price  at  which  a  scrap  wheel 
should  be  charged  back  to  the  maker,  either  for  the 
purpose  of  charging  the  short  mileage  or  crediting 
the  excess  over  the  guarantee,  it  is  understood  that 
forty-five  per  cent,  of  the  price  at  which  the  wheel  is 
sold  would  represent  its  value  as  old  material,  and 
fifty-five  per  cent,  would  represent  the  actual  cost  to 
the  railroad  company. 


\ 


i 


i 


35 

Now  suppose,  for  illustration,  that  a  83-inch 
passenger  car  wheel,  weighing  from  550  to  560 
pounds,  and  guaranteed  for  60,000  miles  service,  is 
sold  for  Sll.  When  that  wheel  is  scrapped,  55  per 
cent,  of  its  first  cost,  or  $6.05,  is  charged  back  to  the 
maker.  As  an  offset  to  this  charge,  the  maker  re- 
ceives a  credit  for  the  service  that  the  wheel  has  per- 
formed. On  the  foregoing  basis  of  price,  the  rate  of 
credit  is  ascertained  by  dividing  S6.05,  the  actual 
cost  of  the  wh?el  to  the  railroad  company,  by  60,- 
000,  the  guaranteed  mileage,— making  10.083  cents 
per  1,000  miles  of  service ;  at  this  rate,  if  the  wheel 
made  but  50,000  miles,  the  maker's  credit  would  he 
50  times  10.083  cents,  or  $5.04.  As  the  wheel  cost 
the  railroad  company  $6.05,  according  to  the  terms 
of  the  contract  the  maker  would  have  to  pay  the  dif- 
ference between  $6.05  and  $5.04,  the  amount  of  ser- 
vice performed,  or  $1.01. 

Any  excess  of  mileage  that  the  railroad  company 
had  to  pay  the  wheel  maker  would  be  computed  on 
the  same  basis." 


wnni 


36 

At  the  time  these  specifications  were  formulated, 
1.00  was  considered  a  fair  price  for  a  33  inch  pas- 
senger car  wheel,  guaranteed  for  00,000  miles.  It  is 
not  an  arbitrary  price,  but  is  used  only  to  illustrate 
the  method. 

The  actual  price  paid  for  the  new  wheel  would, 
of  course,  be  used  in  ascertaining  the  cost  per  thou- 
sand miles,  and  the  amount  to  be  charged  for  de- 
ficient mileage. 

The  specification  of  this  joint  Conference  Com- 
mittee was  immediately  endorsed  and  accepted  by  the 
Association  of  Manufacturers  of  Chilled  Car  Wheels, 
and  at  the  annual  meeting  of  the  American  Railway 
Master  Mechanics  Association,  held  at  Thousand 
Islands,  June  19th,  1888,  they  were  adopted  without 
any  change  whatever,  except  in  the  order  of  arrange- 
ment of  the  several  clauses.  The  Master  Car  Builders 
Association  did  not  take  final  action  on  them  until 
their  annual  meeting  held  at  Saratoga,  N.  Y.,  June 
25th,  1889,  when  they  were  adopted  in  the  main, 
with  but  slight  changes. 


< 


w 


87 

The  Associalioii   lias   irasoii   to  extend  its  coii- 
gnitiilatioiis  t(,  railroad  omdals  as  well  as  to  its  own 
members,  on  tl.e  result  of  its  labors  in  this  direction. 
There  is  nuich  .n.)re  iinilornn'ty  in  the  matter  of  giiar- 
iintvo    and    physical  test,  and  the  acceptance  by    the 
several  associations  of  the  recomnKMidation  of  the  joint 
(bn.mitteehas  .iriven  a  basis  upon   which  the  replace- 
ment of  defective  wheels  can   be  and   has  been  equit- 
ably adjusted,  and  is  conclusive  evidence  that  whilst 
railroad  officials    have  the   right  to  expect  that  the 
mileage  guarantee  of  wheels  shall  be  made  good,  they 
are  willing  t,)  admit  that   manufacturers  are  entitled 
to  compeusaiion  for  mal(M-ial   fiifuished,  and  in  mat- 
ters <,f  replacement  are   disposed    to  allow  <'redit  for 
actual  mileage  made.     This  is  all  that  manufacturers 
can   ask   for,  and  justiiies  them  in  their  expectation 
that  the  <-ouHdeuc(>  and  courtesy  which  have  been  ex- 
tend(M|    t(,  them   by    railroad  officials  through   numy 
years  of  business  interconrs(>  in  the  past,  will  be  con 
tinned  in  the  future, 


KK^^^^^^f 


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ARTHUR  K.  TAYLOR  A  CO.,  PRINTERS, 
WILMINGTON,   DEL. 


